No one is questioning Justin Fields' athleticism. Some question the former Ohio State quarterback's ability to transition from the college game to the pros quickly. Mark Sanchez recently joined The Pat McAfee Show and explained why Fields' ability to learn an NFL playbook might not take as long as some might be anticipating. Maybe all of his skeptics, who want to find ways to bring the quarterback down, are wrong.
"For Justin, this guy, Dr. Goldman, he's a sports psychologist; I talked to him yesterday," Sanchez said (h/t to Jordan Cohn of 95.7 The Game). "He has some interesting information on how he evaluates players — all players from all different sports, OK? Since 2012, this guy's interviewed and given basically like a mental aptitude test on an iPad [to] 6,500 athletes. Professional athletes, not just this average Joe walking down the street. These are like ballers, OK?
"They have a learning efficiency rating on there, so it's basically like this acquisition — like, how many reps does it take until you get it, until you understand something — and then your recall. Like, once you have it, can you bring it back and use it, right? That's basically what they're trying to figure out in that part of this test."
This could be significant for anyone who feels a rookie quarterback might need significant time to sit and learn a playbook and scheme as complex as head coach Kyle Shanahan's. Fields is among the strong contenders to be drafted by the San Francisco 49ers with the No. 3 overall pick. The team has said it plans to keep quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo for the upcoming season and have him start Week 1 regardless of who is drafted. The future, however, will likely be that top pick.
A lot is riding on the selection. Shanahan and general manager John Lynch may be putting their jobs on the line with this organization-defining decision. If they get it wrong after surrendering so much draft capital, it will likely set the franchise back for years.
Mac Jones of Alabama is the favorite to end up in San Francisco. Fields and Trey Lance of North Dakota State are widely seen as the prospects with more upside, though, due to their better athleticism.
"Justin Fields, the guy who supposedly can't go through his reads, doesn't have great work ethic, all this bogus stuff, he scored the highest. Ever," Sanchez continued. "He scored the highest that they can rank him. He scored a 130 on it. Mahomes was like a 108. Josh Allen was like a 108. Over 100 is good.
"Bro, he was a 130, OK? This kid can learn. Essentially, it would equate to like an average playbook that's not that complicated; he'd learn it faster than anybody. A very complicated playbook, to him, it would be like an average playbook. This kid was in the top one percent of 6,500 pro athletes, OK? This kid is bright."
Added Sanchez: "This kid has the toughness, has the grit. I'm just blown away that his stock's not higher."
You can watch and listen to the entire podcast below. The portion with Sanchez discussing Fields begins at about the 43-minute mark.
PFF prefers Justin Fields but still predicts Mac Jones to 49ers in mock draft
By David Bonilla
Apr 9, 2021
Add yet another mock draft to the pile of those that have the San Francisco 49ers selecting former Alabama quarterback Mac Jones with the No. 3 overall pick over Justin Fields of Ohio State and Trey Lance of North Dakota State. Andrew Erickson of Pro Football Focus has head coach Kyle Shanahan and general manager John Lynch following the narrative created by Chris Simms, Adam Schefter, Daniel Jeremiah, and other national analysts.
That doesn't mean Erickson sees Jones as the better prospect. The projection is just based on what is being heard around the league — not that anyone can say with any certainty what the 49ers plan to do.
"Although I personally don't agree with the selection — Justin Fields would be the better option — Jones still
Silver: Some believe 49ers could draft Justin Fields, taking Shanahan's offense to 'another dimension'
By David Bonilla
Apr 9, 2021
As is the case with many analysts, NFL Network's Marc Ross sees Justin Fields of Ohio State as the better prospect when compared to Mac Jones of Alabama. The former Buckeye will hold a second pro day next week, but Ross feels the quarterback has already shown everything he needs to show to NFL teams.
"If teams, right now, are still trying to figure out if Justin Fields is the guy, then they've already missed the evaluation, or he's not their guy," Ross told Andrew Siciliano, Bucky Brooks, and Mike Silver on NFL Network.
Ross notes that with teams likely already having all of the information they need on the quarterback prospects, it is admirable that Fields is holding another pro day when he has little to gain.
"This is just him being a competitor
Cynthia Frelund sees Justin Fields as the best draft fit for the 49ers
By David Bonilla
Apr 15, 2021
NFL Network analytics expert Cynthia Frelund recently used her context-based data models to determine the best team fits for the top draft-eligible quarterbacks. What are the ideal landing spots for the incoming group of rookie passers?
"The goal for each pairing: maximizing the draftee's 2021 win share," wrote Frelund, "factoring in what we know about each team's personnel, coaches and strategy right now. And of course, I'm aiming to present realistic matches, ones that could actually come to fruition on draft day."
Trevor Lawrence to the Jacksonville Jaguars and Zach Wilson to the New York Jets seem like the most likely
Richard Sherman still betting on Justin Fields to 49ers in draft
By David Bonilla
Apr 15, 2021
On Wednesday, Justin Fields worked out in front of San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, general manager John Lynch, and quarterbacks coach Rich Scangarello. Was it enough to convince the trio that he — not Mac Jones nor Trey Lance — should be the No. 3 overall pick in the upcoming draft? We may not know the answer to that until April 29.
Former cornerback Richard Sherman already explained why drafting Fields made sense for his former squad.
"He's been at a program that competes at a high level year in and year out," Sherman said last week on The Cris Collinsworth Podcast, which he co-hosts, "always in a championship, always in
